art is cool...

...and so is Dunedin.

their public art gallery has a nice exhibit at the moment. Elizabeth Thomson's (no relation) "my hi-fi, my sci-fi".

Also on display is Monet's "le debacle" which is pretty impressive.

check it out, if you're in town.

If you do happen to be in town; there's a good chance that you're either:
1 - a student who's about to start classes (Dunedin is a MAJOR university town with over 20,000 students expected in a weeks time);
2 - Here for the MASTERS games (there's almost 8000 people expected)
3 - Possibly off a cruise ship, on your way to Antarctica?

Dunedin is a surprising little town, good food, a nice vibe, and a familiar climate for those who enjoy the cold.


we're back in town for a little while, shooting in the forests about an hour out of town (the pine trees feel surprisingly canadian, which always makes me happy), and closer to the city in an old cement works.

speaking of work, it's all going quite well.

don't know why I seem surprised; as we've got a fantastic crew, and amazing scenery - what more could you ask for.

the differences between this film and the last are as numerous as they are massive.

Not that either one was the correct way to do things, but it's almost a holiday to return to the regularly structured form of shooting feature films; and our pace has been a nice contrast as well.

One thing that has made me really happy is how good the local crew are; I was always expecting good things (i mean, c'mon; lord of the rings...), but damn... they've got the logistics of shooting in remote areas well and truly sorted. Everyone is really friendly, and it's got a chilled vibe that doesn't usually happen on bigger productions. it's almost enough to make me want to move here...

I'm having a small issue getting used to our lead actor's accent though... after 9 months of hearing him speak with a hearty Aussie tone, it's a little disconcerting to hear some northern american coming out. Then again, his previous character didn't have claws either...

Photo time...


from the top of the queenstown gondola (which I hiked up, then caught down...)

The photo at the headd of this post is from a small side-trip to the otago-coast

catch you soon

Ian